He had just finished an acrobatic goaltending routine that would have had fellow Czech legend Dominic Hasek beaming and a Ringling Bros. recruiter offering up a lucrative contract to run away and join the circus.

And yet when a media scrum approached Winnipeg Jets' goaltender Ondrej Pavelec following a stellar performance in a 3-0 shutout of the New York Islanders at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Thursday night, the man of the moment deflected praise like he was kicking out any of the 34 shots he turned aside in victory.